On AWARE Yeah man, I'm like the internet bitch, excitingly following the AWARE saga.
Official news sites (CNA), the many many blogs have filled me with great info these few days.
For me these days, the main 'readings' I'm doing are the blog posts listed on singaporedaily.net, and boy, they do give me a great detail about the whole saga (with some spilled emails and personal accounts, so many you can't finish it)
(By the way, this site is great for anyone with a slight interest in the issues Singapore faces, as it has a great collection of blog links on the current 'in' topics)
Here, I'm not gonna retell the whole story.. for me, two blog posts from yawningbread tell the story quite well.
Of course, they might contain a bias since the author is a prominent gay activist.. If you wish to know more (haha it's the exams no time!), you can visit singaporedaily.net, as I mentioned.
For me, I'm the supporter of the 'old guard'.
For people who do not really know what happened, it is easy to say "Come on, the new guard won the elections fair and square, so the old guard are just sore losers!" or "Come on, let the new guard carry out their term, and if they are really not good, the society can still vote them out!"
I think for these people, they don't really know the whole issue here. Without trying to tell the whole story, how the new exco seized power was like that:
A group of 'new members' with absolutely no experience in AWARE's activities, joined the society quietly A FEW MONTHS before the AGM. They turn out in overwhelming numbers during the society's AGM. As for the 'old member's of the society, as they expect the 'old guard' to remain in power effortlessly, not many turned up for the AGM to vote the old exco in. Hence, with great backing at the AGM, the new exco (equally new to the society as they are also new members) got voted into power, and the old exco ousted.
(By the way, the old guard consists of founder members, and members who have contributed to AWARE for years)
In this sense, you can say the old guards screwed themselves up by being complacent, by not enforcing that the old members come for the AGM, and to vote them into power. But come on lah, in Singapore who will expect this to happen? Just look at the Arts Club AGM la. We don't vote there, but how many people do actually come? And that's despite us having quite a number of strong affiliates. For AWARE, these people are adults with jobs and kids, they so free meh?
I think the issue here is not whether the new exco was voted in constitutionally. There are no doubts that they indeed are, and the old guards actually acknowledge that. The issue here is about the agenda these new people are carrying. These are the things they did:
1. Despite being in the same church, and having the sudden surge of membership A FEW MONTHS before the AGM, they denied planning for this, and denied knowing one another prior to be elections.
2. The current President Jocie Lau said that she only took up the Presidency as she was the 'last woman standing', while DBS stated that she did inform them she wanted to contest for the Presidency a few months back. hmm. (read 2nd yawningbread link)
3. They have no prior participation in AWARE, and they suddenly became the EXCO. hmm.
4. When asked, they weren't able to specifically say their plans for the society, except to throw charges at the old exco.
5. Jocie Lau said AWARE was too "diversified" whereas Thio Su Mien said AWARE was too "focused" on promoting gay lifestyle (true? read 2nd yawningbread link)
Best: 6. They sacked some old non-elected office bearers (some contributing to AWARE for many years) without giving reasons.
7. They even CHANGED the office's gates and locks!
Hmm, I'm totally not in the blogging mood today. Can't really express how I felt about the whole issue, about how serious it can be.
Hillsborough Disaster In football, only the Hillsborough Disaster can unite fans like nothing do.
Whenever this disaster is mentioned, football fans momentarily stop their bickering online, and all unite in saying wording like "R.I.P" and "You'll Never Walk Alone".
I found myself quite touched by the whole event, even though it happened in a faraway place, in a faraway time (20 years ago).
It's sad, but amazing in how it puts life into perspective sometimes.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Right now, the tune "You'll Never Walk Alone" (with the Liverpool fans singing together) seems to keep playing in my mind.. It's really quite a touching song, when you see how the fans unite singing the song.
I'm not a Liverpool fan, but it is touching nontheless =)
Questions Wouldn't life be a lot simpler (and happier) if one takes responsibility for everything he has the power to change?
Gone are the self-justifications, the excuses, the blame put on other people, the passiveness, and in are the mistakes corrected, the reasons found, the solutions thought, the pro-activeness found, plenty of lessons learnt, and a lot more positive results created.
What's the use of preserving some worthless, self-thought-of pride when lessons that could have been learnt are a lot more valuable?
If you take many little bits of rest from the time you are supposed to work, work will take back a big chunk from the time you are supposed to rest. That's life.
I better work a bit harder now, so I can slack when the exams come!
Observing presenters, lecturers and committee meeting chairers, the people who usually command the most attention are those who speak with a smile.
People might have very critical or serious points to deliver, but when it is done with a smile, usually my attention gets up, the respect level goes up, while the message is being heard loud and clear.
Lecturers like Lee Soo An, who maybe smokes students sometimes, but his smiles make people like him. Presenters like Kaimin or Andy, whose non-offensive demeanour actually make people understand the message behind loud and clear, rather than focusing on the person per se. And of course, Obama's calm and collected manner even when he engages in very serious and heated debates, making the opponent seem some mad man/woman.
These people are my role models, and I shall curb my aggressive and forceful nature even as I try to fight for the best grades/ideas possible.
2 presentations coming up, GEK1018 next week for 15mins, and in 2 weeks' time, 10 mins for the dreaded EC3304. How to make serious and boring statistical analysis interesting? That's a challenge.
Most importantly, I shall try to do it with a smile =)
TV Mobile Twice I feel so much peace and serenity when I travelled on the arduous tuition journey from West to East, and East back to West.
The aircon was nice, leg room sufficient, and so quiet, very enough for a good rest after a day's work, and time for some stoning as the scenery pass by.
I haven't felt this peace on the bus for a long time. Why ah?
Suddenly, I saw the hollow behind the counter-directional seats.
Yes, it's the (lack of) the blarddy TV Mobile.
Maybe we should send a mass petition to off them or something?
I really love the peace and quiet I get when travelling at night on these TVM-less buses =)
